Page 3 - Florida Sentinel 5-17-19

Feature
May Is Mental Health Month:
Psychiatrists Write Mental Health Book Because Knowledge Is Key To Help
BY KENYA WOODARD Sentinel Feature Writer
For those who struggle to understand mental ill- ness or talk about, there’s a book for that.
Drs. Marketa Wills and Carlin Barnes say their new book, “Understanding Mental Illness: A Comprehensive Guide to Mental Health Disorders for Family and Friends,” is designed to help over- come the stigma that shrouds mental illness, an af- fliction that affects millions every year.
The Harvard-trained psychiatrists say they teamed up to write the book after realizing that the lack of knowledge about mental health issues and disorders was a “public health crisis,” Dr. Wills said.
“It’s such an important issue in society at this time,” she said. “There’s so much going on where the mental health issue really shows itself.”
According to the National Alliance for Mental Ill- ness, nearly 47 million adults in the United States ex- perience a mental health condition in a given year, while 11.2 million adults experience a serious mental illness in a given year.
Up to 90 percent of those who die by suicide have an underlying mental illness as revealed by psycho- logical autopsy. Forty-six percent of those who die by suicide have a diagnosed mental illness.
DRS. CARLIN BARNES And MARKETA WILLS
Dr. Wills, who lives in Tampa, said mental ill- ness is linked to other issues like homelessness and mass incarceration. Education is key to removing the shame and embarrassment that surrounds mental illness, Dr. Wills said.
“When you think about how rampant these issues are and how they touch us all, we thought it was im- portant to get good information out there,” she said.
Dr. Barnes, who is based in Houston, agreed. “One of the main reasons is that there’s a lot of
shame with mental illness, especially if you don’t have knowledge of what it is,” she said. “There’s a no- tion to discredit or ignore.”
Lack of education and understanding about men- tal illness is very prevalent in the African American community, thanks to generational legacies like the narrative of the “strong Black woman,” Dr. Barnes said.
Faith also plays a role, she said.
“We know prayer is helpful, but you need to get therapy, get treatment,” she said.
The book is meant to inform readers about men- tal illness so that they can recognize the signs – not diagnose themselves or others, Dr. Wills said.
To do that, the authors use case vignettes to pro- vide examples of disorders and illustrate how to use stigma-free language and empathy to encourage a loved one to seek treatment, she said.
“Our message is that everyone can benefit from understating this area better,” she said. “The book was primarily written as a resource guide.”
May is Mental Health Month. If you or a loved one needs help, visit www.nami.org, for resources and information. For more information about Dr. Wills and Dr. Barnes and their book, visit www.healthymindmds.com.
FRIDAY, MAY 17, 2019 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 3-A